Exit Wounds
by teeceecee
Summary: She should've expected something like this to happen. After all, she was connected to one of San Fransokyo's most talented young inventor and the catalyst to Big Hero 6. But a string of murders, a dark family secret and a new-found, unexpected strain in what was deemed the ideal romance? Oh, come on. "I knew I shouldn't have jinxed it before it even started." Tadashi/OC.
1. Resurgence

**Hi, guys! Welcome back! *flails happily***

 **So, this is the sequel that I decided to post on today, because guess what? Big Hero 6 is already a year old!**

 **I am incredibly excited for this story because it's going to get deeper, darker and more intense than the first one, seeing as this would be an original story with the insertion of canon characters and of course, my OC, Ayako. I hope this doesn't freak you lot out, lol.**

 **All right then, I hope that you guys would continue to show love for this story much like how you all did for 'Our Sutures'. It would be amazingly appreciated!**

* * *

Today would be her last day.

Outside, light filtered in, lighting up the dancing dust motes, some whirling up when a dark haired girl picked up her pillow and fluffed it.

Ayako flitted around the small room which had been her sleeping haven for the past few weeks as she picked up her scattered clothes, tossing them on the bed, ignorant of the flashing light on her computer, signalling a call from someone.

The music ended and changed into a different song, the brief break alerting her to the beep from the computer. Startling, she paused her music player and walked over to the sturdy plastic desk, clicking on the button to answer the call.

A warm smile pulled on her lips as she saw who it was.

Tadashi had a look of mild annoyance on his face which instantly transformed into a smirk.

"Hey, you. I've been trying to call for the past five minutes."

Her smile was apologetic as she removed the earbuds, shifting the holographic projection of him so that her messy bed would be out of his line of vision.

After the Callaghan incident and her trip to Russia to meet up with her dad, Tadashi and her had been going steady, calling each other every single night (afternoon for her) and talking about anything and everything under the sky.

He was on his semester break now and would often regale her of tales from him and his friends, the rambunctious, affectionately titled 'Nerd Team' along with Hiro. Just three days ago, they had contacted her from the beach, everyone in swim wear or beach garb, preparing a barbecue, to which she couldn't help feel jealous that she wasn't there.

While on the call, Fred had accidentally added too much coal to the grill, causing Wasabi to burn his chicken through and through, the meat resembling a blackened rock.

The whole team had exploded into laughter and Tadashi had to end the call, saying they needed to clean up and wishing her well, the team echoing his sentiments.

"Sorry, I was listening to music and packing some stuff," she admitted, sitting on the cool, plastic chair as their gazes locked. His hair was growing a bit too long in the front, something that had irked her as Tadashi was always vigilant in keeping his outer appearance neat. Circles darkened under his eyes, a thing she had only noticed recently from last week.

"Babe, are you okay?" She asked, concern. "You look really weary."

A look flashed in his eyes, one that he recognized as annoyance. "Hiro has got us tracking down some lunatic who has a penchant for mugging only blonde women and we've been up all night trying to extract more information from him."

"I could help," she offered, knowing that they were busy now living their secret lives as superheroes. "Miko's brother works with the government as a specialist infiltrator and her dad is in the police force. I could get her help in extracting some information, if you want."

"That sounds great, thanks 'Yako. Although if her dad did find out, what are you going to say?"

She thought it over, shrugging. "Maybe it's for a super detailed novel? Anyway, how is Hiro now? Hadn't heard from him since that yelp in the beach video."

Tadashi pretended to wince at the reminder. "He's doing fine, staying out of trouble, cooped up in his lab all day building God knows what."

She rolled her eyes. "Come off it, 'Dashi. Take a break, the kid is safe, you should relax."

Tadashi had a tendency to always worry for his little brother, and while endearing, she thought that Hiro was of an age where he would be able to make decisions for his own without his big brother hovering protectively in his periphery vision. She would never tell him that, though; his brother complex was amusing to observe.

"You're right," he agreed. "He asked about you but didn't want to talk face to face."

That amused her. "Why? Scared that I might pull another scary facial mask and scar him a second time?"

The young man guffawed, remembering that one time that she had greeted Hiro on call with a beauty mask on, catching the young teen off guard. Badly. His shriek of fright could've rivaled Wasabi's had it not been for the fact he had fallen from the chair, muffling the noise, much to his brother's laughter.

He changed the subject, gesturing to her room. "How are you doing there? Dad all right?"

"I don't know, why don't you ask him yourself?" Ayako teased.

She could plainly see his disposition changing into one of apprehension.

"I'm not good at talking to fathers. You of all people know how much I fumble up my words when I'm nervous and it's not a presentation?"

Nodding, she recalled his stuttering when faced with something that disconcerted him. It was both amusing and exasperating watching him trying to articulate the words without breaking them off.

"But he would love to meet you."

"Someday," he promised, "when I meet him face to face, okay?"

"Aw," she cooed. "You want to meet my scary dad face to face just for me? You sweetheart, you."

Tadashi rolled his eyes. "A holographic call is hardly a place to make a good first impression. He can't see how cool I am."

"Okay, okay," she hummed. Tilting her head, she regarded him in amusement. "Do you know how hard it was for me to get you a gift? I didn't think I could do it until I saw something that I'm pretty sure you would love."

"You didn't have to get me anything," he muttered, raising a brow.

She snorted at his words. "What kind of girlfriend would I be if I didn't get you anything?" Her heart skipped a beat at the word 'girlfriend', something she wasn't used to even after one month of being together. She couldn't help it; being with him was like a dream, sure that if she pinched herself hard enough she would awake and it would all just be a product of her subconscious.

"A normal one?" He said it like a question. "The guy is normally the one to get the girl something."

Again, she scoffed. "Please. This was too good a present to ignore buying. You're gonna love it.

"Oh, and just another thing. Is Aunt Cass more of a coffee person or tea?"

Tadashi thought it over for a few moments.

"Coffee."

"Oh, thank goodness," she said, humoring him. "I nearly bought the tea."

"You're getting her tea when she runs a coffee shop?"

"Well, you can't a judge a book by its cover - or its job," she clarified, "But one of Russia's best brew. I hope she likes it."

"She will, don't worry," he reassured. "Are you all packed and ready?"

"Almost," Ayako admitted to which Tadashi smirked.

"Procrastinating, 'Yako?" He taunted, "Wouldn't have thought you could've done it."

She rolled her eyes at him and for added effect, she crinkled her brow. "Well," she drawled, "Stuff would get done quicker if a certain cute guy didn't distract me."

"Oh, who? Me?" He gave a little gasp, something that made her mouth curve in a smile.

"Yes, silly."

"Well why didn't you say so?" He inquired in an exaggerated worried tone. "I would've switched off the call, then."

She chuckled, shaking her head.

"Can't wait to see you tomorrow," she added with a grin. "It's been too long."

"It has," he said, earnest. "I miss you."

This was what she loved about him; while they rarely voiced their affections, both of them preferring to use means of action instead, whenever they did, it was refreshingly genuine. Sometimes she wished that she could say she loved him instead, but that was out of the question.

She wondered when they would ever get to that part of their relationship.

"Me too," she replied, ignoring her train of thought.

"One more day and I can finally see you."

"Impatient, are we?" She teased.

"Of course," he said, making his yearning obvious. "Why would I not miss you?"

She could've rattled off a thousand and one taunts, all self deprecating, but she noticed the tired glaze in his eyes. Stealing a look at the time, she grimaced to find that it was currently three in the morning back in San Fransokyo.

"I can think of a few things," Ayako started, "but it would take too long to list them. See you when I see you?"

He grinned, gaze soft and her heart did that little skip it always did when he looked at her that way. "I for one can't. Okay, see you when I see you."

~~O~~O~~

"You ready to head to the airport?"

She looked up to find her father standing by the doorway of her room, leaning against the wooden frame.

Mikhail Sorokin was a tall, imposing man with dark hair and the same stormy blue eyes as his daughter; of a slender build and lithe arms. Her father was fixing her with a kind smile and she couldn't help the same smile that curved her lips.

"Almost," Ayako said as she gestured to the overstuffed suitcase. "Just trying to figure out how to place all these gifts into one place."

He chuckled and walked in to help her, sitting down next to Ayako as she stared at the contents of her bag.

"This is a lot of gifts. Are these for all your classmates?"

She shook her head. "My friends. They've been bugging me for almost the whole time to get them something."

Mikhail reached out and took the gift she had meant for Tadashi. It was a vintage mix tape made out of cardboard housing a USB twirling in his dexterous fingers.

"Huh, for a music lover?"

She nodded, ducking her head to stop a blush from forming. Ayako hadn't told her father yet of her relationship status, preferring to focus on catching up with him for the lost two years.

And there was, predictably, a lot of catching up to do.

They had talked about anything and everything, covering the lighter topics, eventually moving up to the heavier ones. Ayako almost felt as if she had her father back.

Mikhail too was grateful for this opportunity as it gave him time to reconnect with his daughter, remembering their heartfelt conversation over a cup of coffee in one of his favorite cafes.

 _"_ _I used to come here a lot after I moved back," he admitted, watching as his daughter's attention snapped back to him. She had been daydreaming, just as he always remembered, taking in the scenery, keen eye looking for something which she could probably recreate on canvas when she headed back home._

 _Ayako had taken after him in the art department, as he appreciate the aesthetics all around him; the cobbled gray pavement, the periwinkle blue skies, people dressed in their winter clothes, colors all clashing on a neutral landscape._

 _"_ _You did?" She questioned, dark blue eyes glittering._

 _Mikhail nodded. "Most of the time I used to annoy the waiters here by just ordering a lemon tea and nothing else. It was the cheapest I could afford and allowed me to just sit and enjoy people watching."_

 _She huffed a laugh. "I wish lemon tea could be that cheap back in San Fransokyo. Everything there is expensive."_

 _From what he had garnered out of her information, Mikhail had deduced that Ayako and Masaki had moved out of the town they had called home for half of her life and now currently resided in San Fransokyo where his ex-wife had been transferred to another branch of her company._

 _Ayako stated that San Fransokyo was nice enough and that she had made some friends there at the art institute. She mentioned a red head named Lucy a few times and her group of project partners slash friends that she admired. Without realizing it, she had been talking about a young man, and by the looks of it, his daughter was completely smitten._

 _He didn't know the fellow's name, only that he went to a nearby tech institute and had a little brother who was also a genius like him._

 _Words could not portray how proud he was of her to ignore her mother's wishes and take up art instead, something he knew his daughter would be more passionate about as the same blood ran through their veins._

 _Art was his life and he had harbored hope that it would be hers, too. Finding out that she was a naturally born artist was the proudest day of his life. He could still remember how his cheeks had hurt from smiling when she managed to sketch a rose that had enough details to resemble the blooming petal from their garden hedge._

 _"_ _Dad, if I may ask," she hesitated for a moment before continuing, "how did you meet Donna?"_

 _Mikhail was silent as he thought it through, wondering how to word this._

 _"_ _I met her in a grocery store," he finally said. "And the rest is history."_

 _"_ _Did Nana give you hell?" She smirked as she asked that, remembering her grandmother who was as tough as she was senile, ready to come to Masaki's defense. Mikhail had a sinking feeling that his mother loved her more than him._

 _"_ _I didn't," he admitted a little guiltily._

 _"_ _Dad," Ayako said, voice cautioning. "What if she finds out?"_

 _He snorted. "She's all the way in a village, she won't find out."_

 _Ayako gave him a scathing glare, one riddled with incredulity._

 _"_ _Okay, just don't yell when you realize I'm right. And don't say I didn't warn you if she causes hell to rain because her daughter in law's not the same woman."_

 _Mikhail chuckled at her words, nodding. "I'll remember that."_

 _She stirred the surface of her latte with the plastic spoon, mulling over her thoughts._

 _"_ _Hey, kiddo, what's in your mind?" He asked, prying her from her reverie._

 _"_ _Nothing, just...wondering."_

 _"_ _About what?"_

 _Ayako opened her mouth to reply but snapped it shut. In its place, she resumed a serene smile._

 _"_ _Nothing, dad. Just a stupid thought."_

 _Mikhail sighed and let it go, knowing that his daughter would open up when she was ready. If there was one thing that he wished she hadn't inherited was his inability to articulate emotions into words, a trait that she had picked up from him. It frustrated him that she followed him that manner._

 _"_ _Okay," he said, sounding a little exasperated. "Tell me when you're ready."_

 _Her smile was all Masaki's, during those rare moments that his ex-wife would smile._

 _"_ _Sure, dad," she stated, all easy smiles._

~~O~~O~~

Ayako huffed as she searched for her sneakers. She was so sure that she had left them in the drawer of her closet, near a pile of discarded clothes she had meant to wash yesterday . When she didn't catch sight of them, she huffed in frustration. Distracted, she didn't notice that she had elbowed the closet wall by accident, a hollow sound echoing in the cramp space.

Pushing a rack out of the way, her eyes widened when she saw that the simple object was actually hiding an enclave, a small dark square cut from the wood of the closet, big enough for a single hand to enter. Removing her hand phone, she switched on the flashlight, sharp white light pooling around the small area. She squinted, peeking into the hole, mouth falling open when she realized that the mass of white that obscured her vision was actually a bundle of papers.

With gentle persistence, she removed the papers from their hiding place, the material yellowed with age. Ayako's brow furrowed when she smoothed the letters, further confused when she read the contents.

The language was Russian and her understanding was rusty at best, but there was no mistaking the urgency in the message. Mikhail's name stuck out in bold, from an unknown sender as they didn't leave their name or an identity. Her brow furrowed as she arranged the letters in ascending order from the date of their writing, stun to find that it was all sent before she was born.

Dark blue eyes scanned the contents of the letters, finding them to be genial at first.

 _'How are you? I hope your family is well. About our agreement, I need the money back. Urgently._ '

The words turned from pleading to blatant begging.

' _Please, I need the money. On the sake of our friendship, Mikh, I hope you get this and reply back._ '

Threats that ranged from harmless to pure spite and rage, the correspondence saying that she or he would come after Mikhail's family.

' _...I will never forget this transgression that you have done to me, remember that. I hope you never sleep well for the rest of your life, constantly looking over your shoulder to see if I would be leering over, ready to destroy everything you hold dear. You deserve it.'_

Her breathing quickened, heart thumping with an influx of fear and adrenaline. This person, this shadow writer had threatened her father had stated that he would do everything and anything to hurt him. He or she wanted to destroy everything dear to Mikhail, and Ayako couldn't help draw the links to her mother and her.

"Ayako, where are you?"

She nearly jumped out from her skin at the sound of Donna calling her, quickly pocketing the pages in her jacket. With a deft speed she didn't know she possessed, she dragged the rack back to its original position and stood up, smoothing the front of her shirt.

"Coming!"

Ayako spared the space one last, scrutinizing look, heart beating fast in her chest as she emerged from the closet, fake smile in place.

"There you are," Donna said, kind crinkle in her brow. "I was looking every where for you."

She plastered on a grin and rubbed the back of her neck, sheepish. "Well, you found me. Hi."

Donna's tinkling laughter echoed like chiming bells and she could see why her father found her charming. She was slender, with bright blonde hair and shiny blue eyes, so different from her father's stormy dark blue ones. She was of medium height, with neatly pressed clothes and dainty wrists that were perfect for her profession as a manicurist.

"I just wanted to call you down for lunch...unless you wanted to eat at the airport."

Ayako didn't know what to make of her father's new wife, but she could surmise that Donna was rather thoughtful. Their relationship was nothing short of polite, civil yet detached and limited to mundane questions.

"Thank you," she said, grateful. "I think I'll have lunch here. I think I might get lost at the airport." Which she did, once; confusing the bathroom at the wrong end of the terminal and nearly missing her flight by a hairsbreadth.

With one last smile, Donna saw herself out of the room, closing the door behind her with a gentle click.

The artist heaved a sigh of relief as she removed the papers from her pocket, her brow crinkled like the dents on the paper.

She studied the words once more and decided that she couldn't bring it with her. If the letters were hidden, it wasn't hard to figure out that they were meant to be stashed away from sight.

Her gait was light, secretive as if she were expecting her father to pop out at any moment and exclaim her transgression.

She pushed back the rack, exposing the shallow hole once again. She snapped pictures of the pages, from ascending order until the last one that had shaken her up beyond belief. Ayako stuffed the pages back inside and pulled the rack back in place.

A strand of dark hair fell in front of her face and she blew it away, deep in thought. She wondered who could have sent her father those letters and what they meant. She gathered the matter concerned money, and that her father might have borrowed a sum, and yet she didn't understand the anger, the warning.

It also didn't explain why they wanted revenge on his family.

Shuddering, she stepped back into the bright world, closing the doors, pocket weighing heavy with the phantom presence of the letters.

But she knew that the weight clearly didn't rest with the phantom letters.

It rested with their implications.

~~O~~O~~

After a hearty lunch of pork chop and fried potatoes, she sat listening to Mikhail and Donna conversing softly in Russian.

Her understanding of Russian was rusty, not having spoken it for nearly two years. But since living in the same household for two weeks, her grasp of the language returned back to its usual skill, like muscle memory in riding a bicycle.

She studied the way how Mikhail spoke with Donna, all soft gazes and blurred words, like the two were the only people in their own world. Sometimes, she wondered if this was the way how her mother and him used to speak, before the stress and toil of marriage brought out their bitter side.

As if sensing that his daughter was thinking about him, he turned to her, smile in place.

"What time is your flight again?"

"Three, papa."

"All right. Why don't you go change and double check everything that you packed."

Intuition spoke that Donna and Mikhail were talking about important issues and she nodded, not wanting to intrude. Picking up her plate, she meant to wash it when Donna's soft words offered to do that instead, stopping her.

She thanked Donna (polite, always so polite that it made her weary) and sauntered back to her room. She trailed her hands on the pale wallpaper, memorizing the grainy texture, fixing the room with one last glance, hoping to remember this place that she had lived in for two weeks.

Her room was sparsely decorated with a study table, laptop in one corner and a single bed lining the wall, pastel curtains giving the place a sort of girlish innocence. She had no doubt that her father's new wife was the primary force in decorating this place.

Their home was small, yet the atmosphere that settled in the pastel walls was warm enough to expand the space with their comfort. It felt like a sin, like a deep seated offense that she would feel at home in her father's home with his new wife, forsaking her mother and her home. Ayako sighed, gathering that this was a typical sensation that a child of divorced parents would feel, attempting to shake off the gloom, latching her mind to other things.

She brushed back a lock of hair from her face and studied her suitcase, hoping that it didn't exceed the limit.

Clicking on her phone, she took a moment to study her wallpaper. It was a picture of Tadashi and her, when they were at the park. She remembered that it had been Honey who had stolen her phone and captured the moment, snapping a picture of their laughing expressions and too bright eyes, elated on the love that they both shared.

His arm hung around her shoulders and she was sticking out her tongue, probably dismissing his words with a certain cheek. Tadashi had looked amused, crooked smile that she loved etched on his lips.

Longing burst deep and strong in her chest and she sighed, knowing that they only had a few more hours left to see each other.

* * *

 **A/N: *peeks from behind hands* Was that okay? Intriguing?**

 **I can't wait to hear all of your reviews and comments. Please do take a few moments to type in a reply, it would be amazingly appreciated by myself and would be an incredible motivation booster.**

 **Till next time!**


	2. Meeting Mom

Tadashi was bouncing on his heels, unaware of how much he was annoying Hiro as he kept on glancing over at the arrival terminal. His younger brother poked him in the ribs, earning a yelp from the twenty year old man.

"Quit it or I'll put you on a leash," Hiro warned, no nonsense expression flashing.

He rolled his eyes, and peeked over his shoulder, towards the empty terminal again. That was odd. The flight en route from China was supposed to arrive, where she told him she would take another flight to San Fran. Nervously, he glanced up at the listing board, heart easing a little at the reminder that her flight had already arrived. But it had been fifteen minutes and there was still no sign of her.

"You're still bouncing," Hiro commented. He turned to their aunt who was busy typing something in her phone and tugged on her sleeve. "Aunt Cass," he whined, doing the thing that Tadashi had hated ever since they were little children. "Tadashi wouldn't quit bugging me."

His older brother spared him a look of annoyance and Aunt Cass looked up from her phone to give him a small smile. "Oh, come on Hiro, he's excited to see his girlfriend! You'll understand when you're older."

He was about to laugh at the petulance on Hiro's face when he saw the first stream of passengers arriving from the terminal. The mood in the waiting hall instantly changed and everyone's attention sharpened, eager to catch a glimpse of their loved ones. He saw a head of dark waves bobbing in the crowd, and not for the first time internally teased his girlfriend's height. He knew that if he were to tell her outright, he wouldn't hear the end of it.

"There she is," Hiro said, pointing.

Sure enough, Ayako emerged from the throngs of people, wheeling her brown suitcase and holding another bag in her hands. She looked up at them, sensing their eyes and broke into a smile. His feet moved on their own accord and soon, they were rushing towards each other, her baggage forgotten as she threw her arms around him.

They both laughed at the sweet relief of finally being in each other's arms and it felt like a heavy weight had been lifted from his chest.

"Hey, you," she said fondly, planting a small kiss on his cheek.

He blushed, rubbing the spot where her lips touched his skin. "Hey. How was the flight?"

"It was good. Although the kid behind me couldn't stop crying. Thank God for cheap in-flight earplugs." She chuckled, and they both walked towards her forgotten suitcase, Tadashi helping her wheel it.

"Did you manage to get any sleep?"

Ayako pointed at the dark circles under her eyes as a way of answer. Tadashi broke into a smile and pinched her cheek, ignoring her sound of indignation as he picked up her suitcase.

"I've been lugging that thing around for days. I can carry it."

"No, no," he insisted, lifting it up by the handle. "It's for the reason that you've been carrying it for days that I'm helping.

Ayako fixed him a glare that was playful around the edges and stood on tiptoe, quickly pecking his cheek.

"I missed your endearing chivalry."

He blushed, spared from answering when Aunt Cass cleared her throat. Ayako turned around and the older woman enveloped her in a hug, taking her by surprise. She chuckled and embraced his aunt back, saying how happy she was at seeing her again.

Hiro stood by the side, catching her eye once she let go of Aunt Cass. He grinned his gap-toothed smile and Ayako hugged his shoulders, the bony edges digging into her ribs.

"Hey, heart still beating fine from the face mask?"

Hiro merely glared at her for the reminder and rolled his eyes. His hair was longer in the front now and brushed his thick eyebrows, framing his cheeky brown eyes that were so like his older brother's now as they both looked at her.

"Barely."

Ayako ruffled his hair and said in a mushy voice, "aw, you know I was sorry for that."

He huffed but smiled, nudging her shoulder. "Yeah, yeah, quit acting so smug anyway."

Ayako looked down at her phone and found it blinking with another message. It was from her mother, telling her that she was here and would be on the look out for her.

"Hmm, that's funny, she said that she's here."

"Who?" Aunt Cass asked, curious.

"My mom," Ayako replied and saw a familiar head of hair tied in its signature tight bun. Her mother walked into view and she waved, smiling widely. Masaki reciprocated the smile and Cass turned around, gasping.

"That's your mom?"

"Yeah," she replied as her mother came to a stop. Ayako reached up and hugged her, her mother patting her shoulder. Appraising the family of three behind her, she was stunned to see her mother giving Cass a warm smile.

"Thank you for welcoming my daughter and taking care of her. You must be my daughter's boyfriend's aunt. She mentioned you once."

Cass beamed and shook the other woman's hand, Ayako and Tadashi sharing a look.

This was the first time that their two families were meeting up with each other, and the two of them were thrown off to say the least. The sudden change of the plans left the both of them disorientated and apprehension crept around the edges of their laced hands, breaking off once Masaki's eyes landed on their close forms, both of their faces reddened with embarrassment.

"Are you hungry?" Masaki asked, ignoring the gesture of fondness between Ayako and him.

Her stomach rumbled in answer and Cass chuckled.

"There's a great cafe near the airport. We could go there," she suggested.

Ayako blanched and she glanced at Tadashi, not knowing whether to be amused or horrified. Masaki conceded with a nod of her head. "Since you so patiently waited for Ayako, it would only be fair."

"Great," Cass said and she could see that even though the two women were about the same age, Tadashi's aunt still retained a certain youthful outlook about her that was refreshing. She wondered if her mother could actually get along with someone that was so different from her. Cass strummed a topic about cafes and her mother responded with genuine interest, leading her to gauge that they might be good friends.

Tadashi picked up her suitcase and followed his aunt and her mom, sneaking a glance at her. "Is this really happening?"

"Hang on, I think I need some vodka to answer that question," she said and made a face.

"Will this be awkward?" Hiro piped up beside them and his brother shrugged. "Let's just hope Aunt Cass doesn't spill out any embarrassing stories."

"Oh, I hope she does," Ayako said with a mischievous look in her eye. "I can't wait to hear all the things you did as a kid."

Hiro snorted. "You should have just asked me, I could easily tell you."

Tadashi shot him a glare and Hiro raised his hands in mock surrender.

"...or not."

~~O~~O~~

Her room was immaculate, as far as pristine goes for a messy artist, a far cry from what she had imagined. She had envisioned cobwebs, dust and a messy wardrobe that she would have to clean up. But the bed was neatly done, her easel standing straight for once and her tubes of paint arranged neatly on her study desk.

Ayako knew then and there never to underestimate her mother's cleaning skills.

"Cass is such a nice lady," her mother mused the moment they entered the front door.

"Yeah," she agreed and set her suitcase down, running a hand through her greasy air. Recycled air in the plane had not been kind to her scalp and she internally sighed, already thinking of the work she had to do to tame her messy waves.

"How was your father?" Masaki asked after a minute of silence.

"He's fine," Ayako answered, remembering the letters inside the secret compartment. The information was on the tip of her tongue, ready to be voiced out and questioned. But something was holding her back, sticking her words in place. She didn't know what to make of those letters and wondered if it was even worth telling her mother.

"Was there enough money?"

Ayako nodded and said, "yes mom, thank you."

Masaki hummed and indicated at her baggage. "Just throw the dirty clothes in the washing machine, and I'll handle it tomorrow."

"Thanks, mom," she said, this time more sincere.

Her mother nodded and went to her room, and despite her sudden exit, Ayako felt warm all over from today. Their dinner with the Hamada family was actually fun, Masaki having found a good conversationalist in Aunt Cass who brought out her chatty side, her mother procuring more words during that dinner than she ever did in these past few months.

Part of her knew that it was taking her mother some effort to move past her father, and tonight was the first time she had ever seen her mother make an improvement from her usual stoic self. That gave her a huge dose of hope.

She brought out her phone, texting him as she laid on the bed, staring up at the white wash ceiling.

'Going to sleep. Goodnight.'

He replied back a moment later, saying: 'Goodnight. Hey, since our family has already met, do you think we're as good as married?'

She guffawed at that, sitting down on the couch cross legged.

'You still haven't met my dad,' she reminded him.

He texted back, cheekily saying: 'Oh well. Goodnight.'

Ayako shook her head at his immense dorkiness and texted back:

'Goodnight.'

* * *

 **A/N: I AM SO SO SORRY FOR THE DELAY OMG. I've been really busy with coursework and university that I had no time to edit this. I hope you guys would understand :/**

 **Reviews are extremely welcomed :)**


	3. Cracks

Her return to her normal life was smooth at best, since she was only gone for two weeks in addition to her one week of semester break.

Classes went on as usual and she was almost done with her scholarship work, the idea coming to her in the middle of the night where she decided to illustrate the fight between Big Hero 6 and Callaghan. Of course, she wouldn't sell out their identities, merely painting them in blazing silhouettes against the burning skyline. She had a good feeling about this.

At home, in her now tidy room sitting in front of her PortTab, she heard a beeping coming from her phone, signalling a call.

Distracted, she picked up the phone, murmuring a, "hello?"

"'Yako, it's me."

"Oh, hey 'Dashi," she said and saved her current updates to the illustration. "What's up?"

"Are you free now? I have something amazing to show you."

"Amazing as in date-amazing or hero-amazing?" Ayako found herself asking this question nowadays since she was easily confused whenever he called her up, and claimed that he had something 'amazing' to share.

It was no secret that alongside studying for his last year in S.F.I.T, working in the Lucky Cat Cafe and taking care of his brother, Tadashi was also busy fighting alongside his friends and said brother in a superhero group that they had formed sometime ago.

Since Ayako had been busy in Russia, he had updated her on what they had been doing, giving her a clear visual of what she had been missing out. They mostly handled the safety of the civilians in the night; further cementing their reputation as San Fransokyo's vigilantes, protecting innocent drunks and women walking home from work, derailing the sick rapists who were looking for an easy target.

She couldn't have been more proud of them, and yet wish that she was there to help.

"Are you free now?"

Glancing at her still unfinished outline, she heaved a short sigh. "Yeah I am. I can't find the inspiration, anyway."

"Great. I'll come by and pick you up."

Ayako set down her tablet pen and picked up her discarded cardigan, shrugging it on. "Can't wait."

~~O~~O~~

He arrived five minutes later, the bright shine of his red scooter glimmering like a streak of flames. Ayako bounded down the stairs, feeling brazen and placed a quick kiss on his cheek.

Tadashi lifted his hand to his cheek, chuckling. "What was that for?"

Ayako smirked as she took the helmet from his slack hand, buckling it on, careful of her hair. "Nothing. Just missed you."

"Hmm."

She got up behind him and wrapped her arms around his torso, the scooter pulling away from the curb in record speed. "A little excited here."

"Because you have to see this," he said with a throaty laugh. "I promise you'll be surprised."

They passed the row of apartments, hitting the main road, Tadashi going faster than usual. They passed by San Fransokyo's wharf, the night of their crazy car chase with Callaghan flashing in her mind.

"Did Wasabi get his car back?"

"Yeah, he did. GoGo's helping him build it."

Ayako sighed, shaking her head. "Thank goodness."

"We met up with Abigail," he informed, his voice distorted since they were racing past the wind. "You should meet her, she would love you."

Ayako felt the familiar pang of being left out clench her heart. She put that all aside for a show of curiosity, wondering how Callaghan's daughter was doing now that she was back in their world.

"How's she doing?"

"Disorientated, but that's expected," Tadashi said, passing by a familiar row of houses for a mansion that she remembered stumbling to soaking wet and shivering from a cold fear at nearly losing her life.

"We're at Fred's house?" she asked, suitably confused.

"Yeah, it's here."

Tadashi parked the scooter and got off first before helping her, steadying her with a hold of her hand. Ayako passed him the helmet and smoothed down her hair, aware of his smirk.

"Come on," he said and grabbed her hand, lacing their fingers together. She found his touch comforting and knew that whatever was in this mansion was something that would be able to help the team.

He entered the doorway that was unlocked, pushing it back with a familiarity that was questionable. It seemed as if Tadashi had been here far more times than she expected, walking with purposeful strides down a hallway. They passed by the huge dining room with another chandelier hanging from the ceiling, throwing fractured light across the room.

He brought her down a way that held more of the unique paintings that she admitted to Fred's father having a good taste in and reached a nondescript door.

He spared her an excited smile and pushed open the door.

The first thing that she noticed was that it looked like a high end gym. Ellipticals lined one side of the room, the whole space being dominated by a large mirror that reflected her awed expression.

A boxing ring was in the middle of the room, the red rope looking a whole lot like police red tape over a murder scene. To the far left, a sparring ring and a couple of weights. Her personal favorite were the treadmills to the right, shining in an alluring chrome.

"Wow."

He laughed. "Yeah, 'wow'."

"W-What is this place?"

Tadashi tugged her along by hand to walk around the space, a cool breeze brushing her neck from somewhere above.

"This is our personal gym that Fred's father gave once he found out he too was in the superhero business."

Ayako could only gape at him, the information hitting her like a sledgehammer.

"Y-You mean that F-Fred's dad is a...a..."

"Superhero," he finished for her, agreeing. "We couldn't believe it, until he showed us his old headquarters that Hiro is now using as a recon room for us to gather before a mission."

She spun around, trying to take it all in that yes, this was really happening. The life of being fighters and running risky missions would not just be a one time thing.

Ayako didn't know whether the emotion swelling in her heart was fear or excitement.

"There's someone else that you should see."

He brought her out from the team's gym and down another hallway, stopping outside another door which she took to be the recon room for she could hear laughter coming from the other side.

Pushing open the door, she was confronted by two sights: One, the whole team had noticed her and were calling out greetings, happy to see her. The second one was an ambling white marshmellow robot that lifted one limb up, giving her a circular wave in his own rendition of a greeting.

Her mouth was wide open, and Honey stopped from advancing towards her with the intent of hugging her.

"Ayako?"

In answer, she eloquently summarized her experiences today with this sentence:

"What the fudging jellybeans?"

Catching herself, she cleared her throat, much to the team's amusement.

"Welcome to the club, 'Yako," GoGo commented dryly, understanding her shock well enough.

Tadashi gently nudged her shoulder and Hiro came by to stand next to her, grinning from ear to ear.

She lifted up one shaky finger, breath living her in a rushing 'whoosh'.

"B-Baymax." Glancing down at Hiro with wide blue eyes, she whispered, "how?"

"Baymax 2.0 gave me his chip when he launched us out of the wormhole," Hiro admitted, leading her over to the rectangular oak table where she took a tentative seat. "So, I rebuilt him from scratch."

Ayako looked to Tadashi. "And you didn't tell me?"

"We wanted it to be a surprise," he confessed.

"Surprise I am," she muttered.

Looking to the silent robot, the eyes of the whole team on her, she tentatively mimicked Baymax's wave, the motion making him blink.

"Hi, Baymax. Nice to see you again."

"And you too, Ayako," the robot chimed in benignly. "Your production of melanin has been low this past month. Diagnosis: Vitamin D. I advice you to take a walk in the morning before 9 a.m because that is when the absoprtion from the sun rays is most effective."

She ran a hand through her waves, laughing in disbelief.

"It really is you, Baymax."

He tilted his head to the side and nodded. "Yes, I am really Baymax."

She looked at Hiro, smiling widely. "Amazing. He's as real as the last one."

"If not even realer," Hiro added, smiling his gap-toothed grin. "Are you shock?"

"Well enough," she said and gazed at the rest of the team. She laughed and said, "it's so good to see all of you again."

Honey squealed and ran towards her, wrapping her in her strawberry scented embrace, her yellow sundress scrunching under her touch. The tall blonde had to hunch down to hug her, and Ayako huffed a laugh, patting her back.

The chemist genius pulled back and started chattering excitedly. "How was your trip? Did you have a great time? How was your dad? Does Russia have a lot of cute guys?"

Ayako raised her hand in a motion for her slow down.

"Russia was beautiful and so were their men. My dad is fine and Tadashi should have told me that we were going to meet up cause I would've brought the souvenirs then."

Everyone mock groaned and some of them chastised Tadashi.

He lifted his hands in surrender, protecting himself from the group's good-natured flames.

"Sorry, sorry. I forgot."

Hiro beckoned Ayako over where she was greeted by a spread of computer screens and a control panel more complicated than algebra.

"Whoa," she whispered and skimmed her hand over a panel of buttons which she recognized as controlling communication links.

"Pretty huh?" Fred piped from over her shoulder. She glanced back at him, nodding in agreement.

"It is."

"And it's all for you to control," Hiro said and she looked up at him, astonishment written on every line of her face.

"W-What?"

Tadashi came to stand beside her, booting up the system where red dots scanned her face and the screens lit up, in recognition of her.

"You're our new communication controller since you showed how good you were on the field," Tadashi said and she felt something akin to wonder brewing in the back of her mind.

Her fingers lingered on the keyboard, and she brushed a light touch over the surface.

The others were waiting for her to say something, eyes on her reaction.

Ayako knew that this was a very generous offer, but somehow she couldn't help think that they didn't want her on the field. She much preferred that, being in the fray and assisting her friends in any way that she could, not sitting in a dark room worrying if all of them were okay and having to witness second hand the danger they were going through.

She didn't want that. She wanted to be there, with them.

But they were anticipating her answer, earnesty radiating of their forms.

She glanced at Honey's wide smile to Fred, Wasabi and GoGo's open curiousity. Tadashi caught her gaze and he could sense her hesitation. However, she didn't want to cause a scene and merely nodded, swallowing down a lump of disappointment, the feeling of being left out again resurfacing after she had fiercely tamed it down.

"I love it. Thank you."

~~O~~O~~

"Are you okay?" Tadashi asked after he had sent her home, the scooter laying idle and rumbling under them. She removed the helmet and rested her head on his shoulder, sighing.

"I'm fine."

"You didn't look so happy back there."

Ayako grimaced. "You could tell?"

"Yeah," he said softly and turned around to face her, the scooter being braced on the ground using the rear brake lever, stable and firm so she had the comfort to lean forward without fear of slipping from the seat.

"Are you okay?" She only had to look up into his wide, brown eyes that were probing and filled with compassion to answer.

"I am, but..."

She trailed off, unsure of how to put this. Would he take it the wrong way when she said that being a communication controller was not what she wanted?

"It's just...what happened to our team work? Why am I not on the field with all of you?"

Tadashi dropped his gaze, suddenly mute.

"Tadashi?" His silence was unnerving her, and she could sense that it had more to do with the fact that the team had randomly decided she should be given that task.

"We...talked," he said, a little bit forceful, as if coaxing those words out. "And your help during the fight with Callaghan was admirable."

She could feel a 'but' in there somewhere and struggled to keep her face neutral.

"But we feel that you would be safer behind the scenes," he admitted.

Her jaw fell open, wide with disbelief. "And you agreed to that?"

"I had to, you were in danger and we couldn't protect you while fending off the villains at the same time," he added defensively, like their decision was her fault.

"Unbelievable." She mounted off the bike and handed him the helmet, unable to look at him.

"Hey, hey, 'Yako." He caught her arm, pulling her close. She felt him lift her face to meet his, but she stubbornly averted her eyes, jaw set in anger.

Tadashi sighed and dropped his hand. "Just understand that I couldn't let you get hurt."

Her eyes flashed with an intense emotion and she could feel the anger turning into indignation. "And what about letting me decide on that?"

"The whole team pitched in and said you would be much suited to background work. I had to agree."

She yanked herself away from his embrace, cool outrage seeping in between them.

"'Yako, wait-"

"Okay, Tadashi," she said and turned around to face him, weary.

His reasoning was pretty sound as she had been in danger during the fight. Ayako had no special skills to boast about, and she was sure that a gun wouldn't be able to protect her in a fight against a technologically advanced villain who could've easily knocked her off her feet.

The microbots swam in her thoughts and she recalled how frightened she had been when they had pinned her to the ground, encircling her wrists with their iron grip and how helpless she had felt.

She understood his reasoning, the logic and facts backing it up. That didn't mean she had accepted it.

"Okay, I'll do it," she said and saw a smile of relief break on his face. The icy sensation of anger still hadn't warmed up her limbs, body stock still with indignation and sad resignation.

"Come here." She let him hug her close, breath playing idly with stray strands of hair on her neck. "Thank you for understanding."

Ayako could only hug him back, briefly enjoying his embrace and nodded.

"You're welcome," she said softly, knowing that what she meant was completely the opposite and how a shard of hurt was piercing her lungs, making every breath hard. She felt hurt at the fact that he had joined in and voted against her joining the team during their mission.

The feeling of being left out intensified, one that even his embrace couldn't chase away.

She bid him goodbye with a frozen smile stuck on her face, rooted to the spot long after he had left.

Letting out a shuddering breath, she wrapped her arms around herself, trudging up the steps of her apartment, the sun dipping behind the horizon, the last rays of the day shining on her hunched form.

Ayako sat on the stairs and gazed out at the trees, the empty street, the cars all lined neatly by the curb; serenity and normalcy clashing with the disappointment lingering like a film of grease.

She pushed back her hair, tips of her fingers cool like ice cubes on her skin.

I am all right, she chanted, working encouragement into her system and dispelling all the dark thoughts. I am all right and I am home and I have friends. I am all right.

~~O~~O~~

A polite knock on the door caught his attention from the files that he had been studying. The middle aged Russian man raised his head, adjusting his seating position which invariably let his gray coat flutter to the ground. The Cuban cigar dangled from his lips as he silently cursed the interruption, picking up his coat.

Another knock was the final straw to his patience and he barked a quick order to enter.

"Pietro." A man in their ranks only known as the Detective due to his uncanny ability to uncover even the most mundane of information from a target strolled in, a single picture in hand. "You might want to see this."

Setting the photograph down, Pietro's eyes widened when he saw who it was, and this time, when the Cuban cigar rolled from his tongue and down to the floor, he didn't pay it any heed.

"Is that..."

"Well you were searching for her for a long time. Thought I might help with the process." The Detective clapped him on the shoulder and took his leave, leaving behind an impregnable silence.

Pietro lifted the picture, his hand shaking as he turned it around in the dim lighting, hoping that the angles of the woman and her daughter in the picture might change and he wouldn't recognize them. If Anton had this in his hands...

He heaved a shuddering breath, and had half the mind to call the Detective back and rectify his mistake, tell him that he never wanted to start this search in the first place.

Ten years he had been searching for her and now she was staring back in the photograph, eyes on her daughter, still as beautiful as he remembered her from college. The girl had her mother's nose and sharp cheekbones, but her eyes were Mikhail's.

He would remember that vivid shade of blue from anywhere.

Not for the first time, he was helpless, torn and conflicted.

Pocketing the picture, he went back to his work, hoping that the constant search of clues would never once more lead him to an answer as apparent in the breast pocket of his gray coat.

* * *

 **A/N: Happy New Year guys and I hoped you guys had a great Christmas season! Sorry for the late update as per usual, your patience is highly appreciated :)**

 **Reviews are also welcomed, off course.**


	4. Inception

**Summer just rolled around and I finally got to edit this chapter and put it up for your reading pleasure. I know I haven't been able to update for more than a year (university is pretty stressful and eventful) and I apologize for it. I just want to let you all know that I have no intention of letting this story slip away to rot and decay; I will try to upload as many chapters as I can before classes start and I hope there still remains a steady readership from all of you who are still interested in my little ol' story.**

 **Also, I hope I'm not forgotten on this website. Heh.**

* * *

Ayako looked up at her university with something like a leap in her heart, all ready for her new classes, backpack weighing down on her shoulder.

She hitched it up and walked the first few strides, lace shadows cast from the overhead leaves playing on her bare arm. She heard a giggle and looked up in time to find Lucy bounding over to her, catching her in a friendly embrace.

"Lucy," she said fondly and hugged her friend back. Mike was next, switching up his usual plaid shirts for a grey GAP one. He grasped her in a one-armed hug and she reciprocated, smile wide on her face. Keiro and Miko came up together and she embraced them, too.

"Oh, guys you don't know how good it feels to see you," she said, taking a moment to study them. Most of them looked the same, except for Mike with his change of shirts and Lucy who was now rocking a shorter hairstyle.

She gasped and fingered the edge of her locks. "You cut your hair," Ayako said, more of a statement than a question.

"I did," Lucy said and lit up with excitement. "How are you? How was Russia? Did you get us presents?"

Ayako chuckled and set down her backpack on the nearest marble table set outside their university and rummaged through for the souvenirs that she had found in a night market near her place. Mikhail told her it was one of the most bought souvenirs in the area, and since she had no idea what to get individually, she bought them all different designs of the tiles.

Some of the tiles had imageries of nature while others were more abstract in their design, perfect for art students who immediately studied the different techniques applied to them.

"Whoa," Miko said and held up one that depicted a huge castle. "This is so pretty."

"I know right," Ayako said, tinge of pride. "My dad recommended those for you guys."

"Neat," Mike said and lifted up one with a lake on it. "Acrylic, too."

Lucy squealed and squeezed her shoulder. "I'm so glad you're back. We've been running out of people to help side with me during an argument."

"People as in, those who fully agree you and only you are right?" Ayako asked wryly.

"That, too."

Ayako laughed, feeling lighter than she had ever felt in these past few days, her friends chatting and filling her up on things she had missed.

"Mike found a new boyfriend," Keiro said, fingering the hem of her football jersey. She was part of the university's all female football team and the gang sometimes went to her games for support. Keiro shot the quiet boy a look of triumph as he stuttered out protests.

"Ooh really?" she asked, genuinely curious. "Who?" Mike's face only coloured a deep red and Ayako guffawed, tugging on his arm.

"Come on, Mike, tell me who."

"Dominic," he muttered, and she raised her eyebrows.

"You mean that barista at Beans 'N' Things?"

Mike nodded, rubbing the back of his neck, sheepish.

"The very same one."

"Aw, Mike," she cooed. "You go, my friend."

Lucy snorted, her flowery summer dress billowing around her knees. "That's what I said, too. You should meet him, he'll like your goofy humour."

Ayako huffed a laugh, noting that this was the second time someone told her that she should 'meet someone.' Her mind went to Tadashi and her cheerful mood slipped a little. It must have shown on her face for Lucy stopped, looking over her in concern.

"You okay?"

She shook her head, smile back in place once again, making everyone including herself believe that she was nothing but happy.

~~O~~O~~

Her phone beeped with a text and she looked over the date, seeing that it was a Wednesday and Wednesday's were always date nights with him. Ayako had no idea if she wanted to see him, the indignation of being shunted aside still stinging.

Opening the message, she saw that it was him, asking her to come over for a movie.

Ayako debated meeting up with him and salvaging whatever contact they had, having not spoken to him since their terse conversation yesterday. Her finger hovered over the reply button, when she was filled with a sense of tiredness so profound that she knew there was no way that she could pretend that she was okay tonight.

'Sorry, tired. Maybe next time?'

She sat on her bed and reached for her phone, wanting to call her father up, hoping that she could gain someone else's perspective on her issues. Ever since her visit to Russia, Ayako felt as if she had regained a lost part of herself in the form of her father, Mikhail being a sort of pillar of strength for her now that she had him back in her life.

Her father picked up after a few rings and seemed surprise that it was her.

"Ayako?"

"Dad," she said and someone would have to be incredibly dense to hear the tired melancholy in her tone.

"What's wrong? You sound sad."

She barked a short laugh that didn't sound like a laugh at all. "I don't know, dad. Just some friend problems. I feel...left out."

"Oh dear," he said, dismayed. "Okay, um… Ayako, just remember that you are unique and beautiful and if they leave you out then it's their loss."

A smile lifted on her lips and she felt better. Not good, but better than before.

"Thanks, dad," she murmured and squeezed her eyes shut, envisioning his kind face and the same blue eyes darkened with worry. She missed her father, that much she knew.

"When can I return back to Russia?" she asked, half in humour.

It worked and he chuckled. "Oh, Ayako. Soon, I hope. I miss you, already, _moe solnyško*_."

"Me, too papa," she said, her accent more pronounced now she was speaking to him. "Thank you for the encouragement."

"Anytime," he said easily and she knew he meant it. "Anytime, my girl."

~~O~~O~~

Tadashi sighed as he glanced up from her message, catching Hiro's attention.

"Why the long face, bonehead?"

The two brothers were relaxing in their room, Hiro completing a sketch he intended for Baymax's new upgrades and Tadashi twirling his phone in hand, pondering.

"I think I made her mad," Tadashi confessed.

Their bond had deepened ever since the fight with Callaghan, both brothers now realizing how important the other was and opening up more to each other. If it was before the accident, he wouldn't have been able to tell Hiro how he was feeling, let alone that it was his girlfriend who made him feel this way. Yet, he was now comfortable opening up, recognizing that his brother would always have his good intentions in hand.

"Uh-oh, what did you do? Forget her birthday?" Hiro teased.

He could see that Tadashi didn't take the bait, ruminating silently.

"Big bro?"

Tadashi snapped his head up, realizing that Hiro was waiting for his answer. He rubbed the back of his neck, unsure of what to say.

He didn't know what he had done to make her mad, the closest thing being yesterday flashing in his mind. Tadashi reasoned that it had already been resolved; Ayako herself told him that she was willing to give up her position in the field for a behind the scenes one. She had even embraced him back.

If she was still angry about that, why would she ignore him now?

"I think it's because of her new position and how we took a vote to not let her into the field. She could be angry at that."

Hiro seemed to deflate, understanding lighting his features. The teen ruffled his messy hair and pursed his lips, deep in thought.

"We all know how much she's contributed to the team," he started, "but she nearly got hurt during the ceremony. I don't want to risk her life."

Tadashi nodded, fully comprehensive of his reasoning.

"That's what I told her, too; that we were grateful but she would be more suited for background work."

Hiro shrugged, returning back to his work. He would rather take on a complicated set of schemes than tackling his brother's messy love life.

Tadashi had to chuckle at that, knowing that his brother would not be stumped by complicated mathematics equations but could be confused by how a woman's mind worked. He knew where Hiro was coming from, having experienced the same thing before.

"How about buy her some flowers and take her for a date night or whatever you both normally do," Hiro suggested, shifting his leg from underneath him and stretching out from his cross-legged position.

"Hey, that's a great idea," Tadashi said, inspired. They hadn't yet had a date night since she came back, and maybe a little alone time was what they both needed right now.

He glanced at the clock, disappointed to see that it was slowly approaching nine and that he had an early class tomorrow.

Tadashi settled back on his bed and looked up at the ceiling, at the glow in the dark stars he had stuck there during his cosmic loving days. The cheap neon cut-outs reminded him of that night in the stars when he saw her illuminate with the night sky, dark blue eyes twinkling, carefree, accentuated by the shimmering lights above. He remembered how much he wanted to kiss her that night, the ache in his chest at how beautiful she looked.

Sighing again, he lifted up his phone to read the same reply:

'Sorry, tired. Maybe next time?'

He dialled her phone and when she answered, he had to struggle not to sound incredibly relieved.

~~O~~O~~

"Hello?" she said as she picked up her phone, seeing it was him.

"Hey," he said, voice distorted for a moment as the connection started stabilizing. "I wanted to call to wish you 'goodnight' and that I missed you."

Her heart leapt at that and she struggled to tamper down the smile on her face. She was still annoyed with him and didn't want to give in easily.

"Okay, thank you. That's really thoughtful of you."

"So, how was your first day back?" he inquired and she chuckled.

"The whole gang loved the gifts I got them, which reminded me that I still haven't passed you your gift yet and the team's souvenirs." Sneaking a peek at the bulging rucksack in the corner of her room, she mentally made a note of remembrance.

"I'll make sure to remind you," he teased.

Ayako huffed a short laugh, saying, "Yes. Please and thank you."

A short silence and then she asked: "So, how was your day today?"

"Well, it's been rather uneventful," he confessed. "I was hoping to meet up with you since we haven't had a date night yet, but my lady doth draw too much at night until she's too tired."

Ayako blushed at the fact that he had just called her 'my lady'.

"Yeah, well, I missed you too, sweet talker," she teased back, feeling lighter than she ever did today. Maybe she was wrong, maybe he did care for her and that's why he voted for her to stay in the background as the communications controller.

She understood where his protectiveness stemmed from as Ayako would never think twice to throw herself into danger just to save him, fire and Callaghan's kidnapping included.

"Come over, tomorrow?" he asked softly, and she could hear the fear of rejection tremoring in his tone.

Ayako rolled her eyes and scoffed. "Of course, science boy. I kinda have to since that you wooed me into agreeing."

Tadashi laughed, the sound a light airy one that she loved. There was always something new to discover about him and she sincerely hoped that they had all the time in the world to uncover the little things about each other.

"See you tomorrow, then."

The smile was starting to hurt her face. "See you."

She set down the phone and drawn a sigh, heart fluttering deep in the cavern of her chest. Standing up, she walked around to work out the swooning sensation he always gave her, reaching her window.

Neon lights bathed the city, reflecting off puddles and portholes on the road, cars zooming by like lighted flickers of light on the inky tar. Orange streetlight filtered in through the blinds and the night stretched on from up above, the dark sky contrasting with the bright city below. Wind blew in from her open window, lightly ruffling her dark locks, swirling the smell of asphalt and Japanese takeout from the next building.

She rested her weight against the window frame and looked down at the street.

From the shadows, something shifted and caught her attention; a dark figure leaning by the rubbish dump, apparently staring up at her window. The figure was a man, stoic and heavily built, broad shoulders hidden underneath a grey coat.

He caught her eye and Ayako felt a sense of horror when she stared back, stunned and rooted to the spot.

They continued their staring match and the dark, penetrative stare made her feel as if he were standing beside her, breathing down her neck. He had the sort of fluid face that was hard to pin, features that slid out of a person's mind once he was gone, an unmemorable face.

She blinked and he had turned around, walking away, disappearing behind the corner of a street.

Ayako let out a baited breath and let the blinds fall shut. She was trembling from head to foot, heart thumping unevenly.

She recalled the envelopes and reached for her phone, opening her phone gallery and rereading them all again.

A sense of dread filled her and vaguely, she wondered if his occurrence had anything to do with these letters that she had found in her father's closet.

* * *

 ** _*moe solnyško -_ my sun**


End file.
